


Holding Onto Me

by FallLover



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Good Friend Tina Chen, Human AU, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, M/M, Major Character Injury, Modern AU, Pining, RK900’s name is Nathan, Referenced stabbing, References to Depression, Self-Esteem Issues, generic government office AU, sort of fluffy but also painful, wingmen AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:33:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28373202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallLover/pseuds/FallLover
Summary: Connor and Gavin are hopeless wingmen for each other.
Relationships: Connor & Gavin Reed, Hank Anderson/Connor, Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 10
Kudos: 93





	Holding Onto Me

Connor sighed as he sat down in his usual stool at work. The stool changed, actually, but it was always in the same general area: wherever Gavin was sitting. Gavin looked as tired and annoyed as normal, but his suit looking fresh, his jacket left at his desk, revealing a neat dress shirt. Connor straightened his own tie before sitting down.

Gavin was eating a late lunch, again. Some instant yakisoba he’d been obsessed with lately and that wasn’t filling enough, so he bought a couple of them for each meal to get him through the work. The small office dining area was basically deserted this hour of the day.

It wasn’t romantic and could barely be considered friendship, really. More… commiseration.

Gavin nodded to him. “So… still didn’t say anything today, huh?”

“…I asked Hank how his evening was last night.”

Gavin raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“…And he said he watched some TV and had some pizza.”

“…And?”

“And I asked how his day would be _today_ … and he said he had some meetings.”

“…And?”

“And then I had a meeting to get to, so I left.”

Gavin sighed. “ _Connor_ …”

Connor sighed. “It’s _hard_ , okay? How do you just go out of your way to ask a co-worker, ‘Hey, wanna go on a date with me sometime?’”

“You just _say_ it.”

“Really?” Connor gave him his _worst_ side-eye.

Gavin glared back.

“I don’t see _you_ making any moves.”

Gavin snorted, flushed a bit, and ate some more of his food. “I’m just… waiting for the right moment.”

“Uh huh.”

“You know what? Fuck you. I’ll ask Nathan. _Today_.”

Connor raised an eyebrow. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Yeah, well, you follow me after lunch, we’ll find him, and you just… hang back and listen or whatever.” Gavin’s tone was sharp, but his expression was… drifting towards worry.

“I will.” Connor smiled, trying to be genuinely supportive. “You can do this, Gavin.” For all the teasing, he genuinely hoped Gavin would be successful.

“Psh…” Gavin worked on finishing his lunch.

* * *

They’d started meeting like this when the office had been rearranged and their desks had been moved next to each other. It might have made more sense for them to chat at their desks, but given their new proximity to Connor’s _subject of interest_ and Gavin’s _subject of interest’s_ propensity for wandering around in the oddest of places (except the eating areas), they only met here.

It truly started when Gavin spotted Connor “making eyes” at Hank one day, and pulled Connor aside during lunch to ask about it. Connor had refuted the assertion, but Gavin replied, “I know what I saw.”

What might have been considered harsh teasing by some had started… until Connor’s brother, Nathan, transferred into the office two days later.

Connor had noticed Gavin’s change in behavior when Gavin had stared at no one but Nathan during his introductory meeting, even when Nathan wasn’t talking.

After the meeting, Connor had to shake Gavin to make him go back to his desk.

Gavin had blinked and looked at him. “What?”

Connor noted that Gavin’s cheeks were a bit red. “…Do you…? Like Nathan?”

“What? No! I don’t even know the guy.”

Connor smiled. “You think he’s hot.”

“Psh. Fuck you.”

So they both knew the other man’s interest, and it became a shared suffering across lunchtimes. Both of them tried in minimal ways to impress the objects of their interest… to no real avail. Connor, at least, seemed to get on well with Hank, even if Hank probably just thought it was collegial. Gavin, on the other hand…

“I need someone to stay late today and help me finish this assignment,” Nathan had said at the end of their daily meeting a couple weeks back. He frequently made the announcement and requested assistance. The bosses had a habit of last minute assignments and pushing for deadlines, and Nathan ALWAYS met his deadlines. “We’re not going to meet this deadline, otherwise.”

Gavin raised his hand. “I’ll do it!”

“Good. Anyone else?”

As Connor left the meeting, on a whim he pulled Nathan to the side and said, “Hey, don’t you think it’s nice that Gavin volunteers to stay late so much?”

Nathan raised an eyebrow at him. “…Why?”

“Well…” Connor rubbed his neck. “I mean I like being home on time, so I don’t volunteer, but he _always_ does and it’s… a really respectable work ethic?” It sounded really dumb even to him.

Nathan considered for a moment, then replied, “Well, he doesn’t have a family like most of the people who work here, so he might as well make more money for when he gets one.”

Connor simply stared as his brother walked away. Then Connor shook his head and walked back to his desk, where Gavin was already starting back in on his work.

“Hey uh… Gavin…” Connor didn’t really know how to express his concerns, but…

“Yeah, what? I got a thing I gotta finish before Nathan’s assignment, Connor.” Gavin wasn’t even looking at him. There was a soft smile on his face, though.

Connor blinked, sighed, and said, “Never mind.”

* * *

“Why do you like Nathan?” Connor asked one day at another late lunch. Connor had a burrito. Gavin had two cup noodles. Connor always wondered where Gavin put it away. He looked skinny enough, and some of his dress shirts seemed to indicate musculature.

“The fuck? Why do you like Hank?” Gavin’s cheeks were a little red, but he covered it behind some noodles.

Connor blushed. “He’s… really smart, and just… nice to be around. I really love listening to him talk. And he’s friendly. And sweet.”

“…And hot?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Connor replied, his blush getting darker. “And he’s funny, too.”

Gavin snorted. “I don’t get it but… yeah, I guess the same applies to Nathan.”

“…Seriously?”

“Look, I don’t have to understand how you see all that stuff in Hank, and you don’t have to understand how I see it all in Nathan. He’s your brother, you’re automatically biased.”

Connor snorted. “Fine.”

Gavin never tried to get Connor to win his case for him. Gavin explained it one day over breakfast – donuts – “Look, has anyone ever convinced you to help them date him?”

“…No?”

“Right, and I’m certainly not gonna be the one who succeeds.” This part was deadpanned, and Connor wondered at how Gavin was so… open about this expectation. Not even bothering.

Connor didn’t even have time to ask why before Gavin continued, “So how goes mission: figure out Hank’s perfect lunch order?”

* * *

Now, Gavin walked up to Nathan’s office, and Connor could tell he was nervous. Connor used to wonder why Gavin had never tried asking Nathan out during the many times Gavin had stayed late for work. 

When Connor finally asked about it, Gavin replied, “We’re both always busy during it and just want to finish and leave. And it’d be like I’m cornering him or something. I’m not gonna be _that_ asshole.”

Gavin knocked on Nathan’s door while Connor hid around the corner so he could listen.

“Yes, Gavin?”

Gavin smiled awkwardly. “So, uh… how’s your day going?”

Nathan blinked, his fingers still typing away. “…Fine. How’s yours?”

“Good, good.”

When Gavin didn’t leave, Nathan asked, “…Did you need something?”

“Uh, so… I have these baseball tickets for Saturday. Got a spare. Was wondering if you wanted to come with.”

“…Baseball tickets?”

“Yeah. I forget who’s playing but you know, the games can be fun to watch when you’re seeing them in person. And the food in the new stadium is nice. Haven’t been able to go in a while, so I figured I could treat myself.”

“Saturday?”

“Yeah. Early afternoon.”

“…I have a prior engagement. But thank you for the invitation. I hope you enjoy your game.”

“Yeah. Yeah, cool. Thanks. Uh… hope you have a nice weekend!” Gavin nodded, turned, and walked right out, heading straight for his desk.

Connor followed after him.

Gavin sat down and breathed in deeply.

“Gavin…”

“Just save it, Connor. I gotta work.”

Connor sat down and woke his computer up. He could see the set expression on Gavin’s face. Connor had lived it every time he couldn’t get the courage to talk to Hank properly. “That was really brave, you know,” he added, quietly, not knowing what else to say.

Gavin didn’t reply.

“Gavin!” Hank walked out of his office. “You got the meeting prep done right? We should walk over now. I wanna grab a good seat.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Gavin replied. He reached down to gather his stuff, paused, then looked up and said, “You know, I had a rough night last night. You should take Connor instead. He wrote half of this. He knows it all, too.”

“What the hell?”

Connor was staring at Gavin, who put on a grin that no one would likely see through, unless they were as familiar as Connor was with him. “It’d be good practice, yanno? And he’ll make you look good.”

Hank snorted. “Fine. Connor. Downstairs.” He went back into his office.

“What the hell are you doing?” Connor hissed as Gavin handed him the notes.

“You got your shot, man. Take it. I’m heading to the bathroom anyway.” Gavin waved and walked off, leaving Connor holding the notes and staring at a wall, bereft.

* * *

The meeting was nice. The chairs were a bit too close together, so Connor spent most of it with Hank’s forearm resting against his, and tried _not_ to explode.

Connor didn’t forget anything. Really, he was just there as a back-up, in case Hank forgot something, and Hank didn’t forget pretty much anything, except for one date, which Connor immediately knew.

Hank smiled at him when Connor told him.

Connor wanted to melt.

“I should bring you to these more often,” Hank said as they walked back to the office. “You don’t complain like Gavin does, which is nice.”

“I really enjoyed the opportunity. Listening to your debriefs is just… amazing.”

Hank chuckled. “Yeah, well… You spend your career doing them, you get the hang of it.” As they stood in the elevator together, Hank sniffed. “The fuck’s Gavin doing anyway, backing out of this at the last minute? What, was he drunk or something last night? Idiot.”

Connor swallowed. “It was just bad luck, that’s all. He was planning to go. _Wanted_ to go. He actually asked if I could help him memorize for today, which is why I was prepared.” He swallowed. “I think he was just… being polite in offering me the opportunity, and realized he had to get work done before COB.”

“…Ah. Well. Good.”

* * *

“Hey, thanks, for today,” Connor said as he sat at the bar next to Gavin. Sometimes they met up like this, too. When Gavin wasn’t working late and Connor was free. Honestly they were getting into the “I guess we’re friends” territory and that evolution in their relationship might have weirded Connor out if Gavin hadn’t done what he’d done today. As things stood, Connor almost wanted to buy Gavin an expensive dinner. “It was really great.”

Gavin shrugged. “Was just feeling shitty anyway. Maybe I did it just to make you squirm.”

Connor considered him. “I don’t think you did.”

Gavin snorted. “Softie.”

Connor smiled. “Why _did_ you do it, though? That would have been a good networking opportunity for you. Helped you gain some ground with Hank. Work towards a promotion or something.”

Gavin considered his drink. “Look, Connor… you’re unfortunately one of my only friends. I guess. If you want.”

“…Okay?” Really, Connor didn’t mind. Gavin wasn’t the nicest of people, but he was all right. And it was kind of nice to think that Gavin called him a friend.

“And like… in this world, there’s two kinds of people looking for a relationship. There’s people like you, who have an honest shot with the person they want to be with.” When Connor opened his mouth to rebut that, Gavin continued, “Everyone at work says you’d be a great couple. The people who notice, anyway. Which is basically anyone who isn’t blind.”

Connor flushed. “People _know_?”

“No one’s told _Hank_ ,” Gavin clarified, clearly noting what Connor was worried about. “But yeah, people _know_. Like Tina, obviously, you can’t hide shit from her… Chris… Person… You’re a bit too dreamy eyed around Hank to hide it. He’s just fucking oblivious.”

Connor flushed. He didn’t think he’d been _that_ obvious. “…You said there were two kinds of people.”

Gavin sighed. “There’s people like you who have a real shot at it, and then there's people like me, who die alone. That’s just the way the world works. Figure… might as well do my bit to try and help along someone who has a shot.”

“…Gavin, it was just a first try. There’ll be other—”

Gavin grimaced. “It _wasn’t_ the first try.”

“…What?”

“It was the fourth.”

Connor blinked. Then blinked again. And again.

Gavin was still staring at his drink.

“But you…? You _never_ said anything about it…”

“I wanted to keep it on the down low because it was… well, embarrassing. And I’m fucking arrogant.” Gavin snorted. “Didn’t want to show I was as desperate as you are. Then I wanted to only say when I had something decent to report. Then it just got more embarrassing.” He sighed.

“When…? How…?”

Gavin leaned on his fist, slowly turning his glass around. “First time was when we were walking the same route to the train station. I asked if he wanted to get a drink or something. He said no.” He swallowed. “Couple weeks later, I heard one of the bands he liked was in town. Snagged some tickets. Caught him in the break room and basically did the same song and dance today. He said he was busy. And I get it, random thing to pull on someone last minute, it’s weird, right?” He rubbed his forehead. “Third time we stopped by the same lunch place by accident. I offered to share a table. He said no. But yeah, maybe he just wanted to be alone for lunch, whatever.” He swallowed. “Dumb, minor shit. I can’t be mad he has a life. But… I don’t know.”

“Gavin…”

Gavin shrugged. “It’s cool. I’ll get over it.” He looked at Connor, seriously. “But _you_ listen to me. When you see your opportunity, you take it, yeah? Hank’s into you. His face lights up whenever he sees you. You just gotta go for it.”

Connor grimaced, then nodded. “Yeah, okay. But _you_ don’t give up either, right?” He swallowed. "Even if Nathan never... There'll be other people. The person for you is out there. Your life is hardly over at 38."

Gavin snorted. “Yeah, sure. Whatever.”

Connor looked down at his drink, then back at Gavin, who still looked kind of miserable. “…Hey, wanna come over to my place and watch a movie? Maybe order in dinner or something?”

“Huh?”

Connor stood up and paid his tab. “C’mon. My treat. For today.”

Gavin snorted. “You asking me out?”

Connor laughed. “You _wish_.”

Gavin rolled his eyes, but he was finally smiling. He finished off his drink, paid, and followed Connor out.

They had a decent night of it. Argued over what movie to watch, and ended up talking through most of it. They ended up ordering Korean and just trying way too many things. It was fun, really. More than either of them had in a while, although neither of them admitted it.

Gavin fell asleep near the end of the film, and Connor lowered the volume. He hadn’t forgotten that Gavin had called him “one of my only friends” earlier. It really was nice. To think of Gavin like that. When Connor started this job, he thought he’d make friends in his new workplace and that hadn’t quite worked out. He learned more about people, but always felt awkward in his interactions with anyone. Gavin had been an odd surprise, and definitely not someone he thought he’d someday befriend. He’d been acerbic and closed off at the best of times, and was better known for being fast and good at catching errors than friendly.

But Gavin was often there to shrug off Connor saying how poor a partner he’d make for Hank. “You’d be great. He’d be lucky to have you. The fuck are you saying you’re ugly, dude? I’ve seen like three people ask you out _while you’ve worked here_.” Before moving onto some other miserable sarcastic comment about something.

Connor always tried to return the favor, complimenting Gavin when he started wearing suits regularly that looked sharp and careful, and even started working on his posture, and trying to be friendly to more than just Tina. Gavin never asked what Nathan thought of him in private, so Connor thankfully didn’t have to say that it seemed like Nathan was barely aware of him.

Connor got up and went to get a drink.

* * *

Gavin still came in wearing his pressed suits and volunteered for overtime. But he didn’t talk about making another move. He _did_ end up inviting Tina over to sit with them sometimes. It was nice to have a bit of a friend group. Tina, of course, was the first to bring up Hank, although Gavin told her to back off when he noticed Connor was too uncomfortable, which Connor appreciated.

They were working like normal when Hank walked up to Connor’s desk and said, “Hey, Connor, could you come with me for lunch today? I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Uh, sure, Hank, of course!”

Connor glanced at Gavin as Hank walked off.

Gavin gave him a thumbs up, and Connor shook his head ruefully before heading after Hank.

* * *

They ended up going to a nice restaurant. Hank’s higher position meant he had more money to burn, and he insisted on paying. Connor ordered something nice but not too expensive.

“So,” Hank began, “we’ve been working together for a bit, and I wanted to let you know I’ll be transferring to another branch next week.”

“…What?”

“Yeah… the guy I’m replacing quit and decided to go join a monastery or something. Weird what happens to people… But they need somebody, at least temporarily.”

“Congratulations!”

Hank smiled slightly, then looked down at his steak.

“…Did you want the transfer?” Connor asked, confused and trying not to think about his hopes being dashed. He was happy for Hank, really.

Hank sighed. “I don’t know. I like working _here_. The city’s nice, and… the people are great, and I was just figuring out my house. And…” He swallowed. “Well anyway. I wanted you to know if you need a… a reference or anything, you just have to ask. You do good work, and you’re going to go places.”

“…Oh. Oh, thank you.” Connor hesitated, then said, “It’s been really… great, working with you, Hank. I wish… we could work together longer.”

Hank smiled, which somehow made Connor melt. “Me too, Connor. But hey, maybe we’ll work together again.”

* * *

“And you didn’t _say_ anything???” Gavin demanded, nearly smashing his glass against the bar. “Are you a fucking _moron_???”

Connor had his head in his arms. “I _know_ , okay, I know! I’m a fucking _coward_ …”

Gavin sighed and patted Connor absently on the shoulder. “Yeah, yeah. I mean he’s not gone forever, right? And you have his number. You could email him or something, I don’t know. Maybe text him or whatever. You could start with something simple, maybe? Like, hey, wanted to keep in touch or whatever. Work up from there.”

Connor turned to look at him and smiled. “You know, you’re really nice.”

“Pft. Don’t go tarnishing my reputation.”

“You _are_.”

“Get something to drink. Then draft a text message for him and we’ll see how nice I am.” Gavin glanced around and his eyes widened as he saw something past Connor.

Connor frowned, sat up and looked in that direction.

“…Nathan?” Connor asked, surprised to see the man rushing forward.

Nathan was breathing hard, like he’d been running. “Hank’s heading out tonight. He had me schedule a flight for him.”

“…What?”

“There’s a big project they need him for. He has to be there for a meeting tomorrow.”

Connor blinked. “…Tonight?”

“Yes. But we can meet him at the airport. We don’t have a lot of time, though.”

“Wait… what?”

Nathan sighed. “Tina told me you like him. So come on. I’ll drive.”

“Wha—?? I’m not… What do you think is going to happen???”

“Just tell him how you feel. You’ve been pining for him for months right?”

Connor flushed. “You think he’ll just… not leave?”

“I don’t know what he’ll do. But it’s worth risking right?”

“…Nathan…”

“Connor, take the shot,” Gavin said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “It’ll be nice and dramatic and like a movie, right? Just up your alley.”

Connor huffed a laugh. “Yeah, sure.” He sighed. “ _Fine_. You’re both weird enablers.” He got up to leave and accidentally bumped someone walking past. There was a splash and glass shattered.

“Hey!” the guy Connor bumped cried. “What the fuck?”

“Sorry!” Connor said, embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to—”

“Watch where you’re going!” The guy growled, reaching for Connor.

Gavin grabbed the hand, and said, “Go, Connor, I got this. You have to get to Hank!”

Connor stared.

Nathan pulled him away.

“What the—Nathan!”

Nathan dragged him out of the bar and to Nathan’s car.

“Nathan, this is silly… It’s not like he can pack his house in one night, he’ll be back!”

“I drove out here when I could have been at home so you could have your movie perfect meet-up with the guy you’ve been pining over for ages and never talked about. We’re going to meet him before he leaves.”

“…Well, if _you_ say so.”

The car ride was quiet for most of the way.

“I didn’t know you and Gavin were so close,” Nathan finally added.

“Oh. Well… yeah. We’re friends.” Connor smiled. “We bonded over… crushes, actually. I talked to him about Hank.”

“…But you never talked to _me_ about it.”

Connor scoffed. “Well… I didn’t think you’d care.” For all that they worked together, they rarely spent time together. They were both workaholics in their own way, and ever since Nathan gotten onto the employee track, Connor’s jealousy had hurt them even more, and it didn’t help that Nathan was focusing even more on his work, and had less time to hang out.

There were a lot of reasons Connor was hanging out with Gavin and now Tina, more.

Nathan didn’t reply to that for a while. “So, who’s Gavin’s crush? It’s not Hank, too, is it?”

“ _No._ No. It’s… It’s private, though. If you’re curious, you can ask him.” Connor wanted to tell him so _badly_. It was hard to keep that kind of secret from his brother, especially when he really needed to distract himself from what he was doing. But he couldn’t do that to Gavin.

“…Okay.”

“…Why did Hank even get your help to get a flight booked?”

“…We were working late, and he wanted to finish the assignment. I had finished my work and, well…”

“You were working late _again??_ ” Connor had put his foot down on overtime when he realized it was running him too ragged and his current salary was keeping him comfortable. Nathan, of course, never _stopped_ , and Connor could tell it was wearing on him. Of course, Nathan shrugged off all concerns.

Like he did now when he rolled his eyes.

“…But you didn’t ask anyone for help,” Connor continued. That was odd. Usually, Nathan could at least tell when he’d need help to get the work done.

“I… realized after your comment that Gavin always volunteers for overtime, and… I wanted him to not have another late work night. It’s already been twice this week.”

“…Wait, seriously? But you don’t…” Connor swallowed. He could see Nathan’s expression was… nervous, for some reason. Why would Nathan be nervous?

“…I don’t what?” Nathan’s expression soured.

“…I didn’t think you liked him much.”

“What?”

“Not that you… you’ve been mean or anything. I just figured… ambivalence, maybe.”

“…He’s fine. As a coworker. I was just trying to be considerate.”

“You are. Really. That’s a nice thing to do.”

Nathan snorted. “Whatever.”

* * *

Hank sighed as he looked towards security. In the rush to get to the airport, he hadn’t grabbed the right shoes…

“Hank!”

Hank blinked and looked up, along with the few other people standing around.

“Hank!”

“…Connor?” Hank said, staring at the figure running towards him. It was late, maybe he was dreaming or something.

But no, it was… definitely Connor, running towards Hank, out of breath.

Connor came to a halt a few feet away, breathing hard.

Hank stared at him. “…What are you doing here?”

“I… wanted… to tell… you… before… you left…”

“Take a minute, Connor,” Hank said, smiling. “Uh… there’s a café over here we can sit at.” He looked at his watch. “I have plenty of time to get through security and to my terminal, since this place is dead anyway.”

When they were seated and Hank brought Connor some water, Connor breathed in deeply, and said, “I wanted… to ask you… before you left…” He swallowed again. “I…”

Hank waited, patiently.

“…Do you want to go out sometime?”

Hank blinked. “…What?”

“Do you want to go out sometime?”

“…I…” Hank ran a hand through his hair. “Seriously?”

Connor blushed.

“I mean--! No, that’s—!” Hank slapped a hand over his face. “I didn’t mean…” He sighed and looked at Connor. “Really?”

“Yes,” Connor replied, staring at the table. “I’ve wanted to ask you for months, but… I never did.”

“…But I’m… so much older than you and… you’re so young and good-looking and…”

Connor flushed. “You think I’m good-looking?”

Hank laughed awkwardly. “I mean… yeah? I figured… you were probably dating all the time already or something…”

“No, I… Because I had someone I wanted… I always wanted to ask you out.” _Or for you to ask me out._ Honestly he’d hoped for the latter, but didn’t imagine Hank ever would.

Hank laughed. “Jeez. Look at us two idiots.” He shook his head. “You came all the way out here to ask me to go out with you?”

“Yeah.” Connor smiled. “Maybe it’s silly, but… I’m glad I did!”

“I don’t think it’s silly,” Hank said. “I’ve… never had someone make a gesture like that for me, before. It’s… really flattering, actually.”

Connor felt his skin warm, but also felt a jolt in his chest. The words…

Hank was smiling happily, but Connor knew. He _knew_ …

“…Oh,” Connor said. It was all he could say. He remembered seeing Gavin walk to his desk, not breaking down, his expression strong, even going so far as to push Connor towards Hank at the risk of not advancing his own career.

Connor would bear with it. He’d bear through it. If-

“I’d love to go out with you.”

Connor blinked. “…What?”

“I wanted to ask, but… I figured you were already seeing someone, and… I didn’t think you were really interested…”

“Wait you…? Really?”

“Yes, really. I’d love to. It’ll have to wait until I get back from this trip, but yes.”

Connor laughed. “Of course. Of course.” He swallowed. His throat felt thick. “I’ll be here when you get back!”

* * *

“So, it went well?” Nathan asked as Connor got back in the car.

“Yeah,” Connor replied, grinning. He was still blushing. “We’re going to get together when he gets back. He’s going to make sure his new assignment is temporary.”

“Wow. You’re not even dating yet and already he’s rearranging his life for you. That’s… devoted.”

“I mean… he was already sort of planning to. I think it just worked out all around.”

“Well… I’m glad it did.”

“Oh, I should tell Gavin.” Connor pulled out his phone and called up Gavin.

The call went to voicemail.

“…Huh. That’s odd. Gavin always answers his phone immediately.”

“…Maybe he went back to drinking?”

“…He shouldn’t drink alone, then.” Gavin didn’t mention Nathan these days, but his mood was still down. Even Connor and Tina planning more outings hadn’t changed things, much.

Connor imagined they had that in common. If there was a problem, you avoided it until you couldn’t, like tonight.

But Gavin (and Nathan) had pushed him to go after his goals. And Connor wasn’t going to leave Gavin to be sad alone.

“Can you drop me off at the bar?”

“Sure.”

* * *

“…What happened?” Connor asked as they pulled up nearby. There was a cop car with its lights on nearby, and a small crowd of people. And the front window was completely shattered.

“Maybe a fight?” Nathan offered as he looked around.

“I’ll go ask,” Connor said. “Maybe Gavin’s still in there.” Connor got out of the car and ran out. He looked all around – the building was closed and emptied – but he couldn’t find Gavin. He finally stopped by someone near the police tape – he realized she was the bartender – and asked, “What happened?”

“Some guys got in a fight. Someone got knocked over or dropped their drink or something.”

“…What?” Connor blinked.

The bartender turned to look at him. She blinked and pointed at him. “Hey, you’re that guy! Your friend was the one who got thrown the window. He was fighting all those guys on his own, but he barely stood a chance. Some others joined in, but he still ended up getting thrown through the window. By that point the cops had shown up. They took your friend away in an ambulance.” She lowered her voice. “I guess one of the fuckers had a freaking knife? It was weird as all get out.”

Connor blanched. “…Do you know which hospital they went to?”

“No, sorry. But I do know the local ones if you want to call them…”

* * *

“…Good god,” Nathan said when they first saw Gavin in his room at the hospital. Thankfully, Connor had Elijah’s number, which Connor had blushingly explained to Nathan on the drive over after Connor had called Gavin’s brother hoping for answers. A brief fling that had ended amicably at least when both sides realized they were getting nothing out of it.

“Thank you for coming,” Elijah said, looking wan as he greeted them at the door.

“Have you eaten anything?” Connor asked, looking him over. “You look almost as bad as he does.”

Elijah smiled. “Busy night. Busy day. Had a lot of meetings and the like. But it’s not getting stabbed and tossed through a window right?” He coughed, then continued, “I didn’t… know you two were close.” He looked at Nathan.

“Yeah, we kind of… got stuck together this past year,” Connor said, smiling. “We’re deskmates, I guess. Or cube neighbors. Whatever. This is my brother, Nathan. He also works with Gavin and I.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Elijah said. “Wish it was under better circumstances. Thank you both for coming, though.”

Connor walked over to get a closer look at Gavin.

Gavin was asleep, but his facial bruises were bad. The blankets and gown covered the knife injury.

“It’s my fault he was hurt,” Connor said. “It’s the least I could do. And… we’re friends.”

Elijah smiled. “That’s good to know. Gavin always had problems making friends. Bit of a family issue, really.”

They stayed late, and into the morning. Elijah wanted to be there when Gavin woke up, and Connor, as well, to thank Gavin (and to make sure Elijah didn’t overdo things). Nathan refused to leave Connor, particularly given the busy evening he’d had.

Connor finally convinced Elijah to leave the room for a bit to go get something for breakfast, and Nathan promised to stay behind.

The room was quiet without the other two. Nathan had always hated hospital rooms, although he wondered who didn’t? They never smelled right, whether they were perfectly cleaned or not, and left you feeling itchy and uncomfortable, and there were never enough places to sit, or sit comfortably.

Nathan started when he heard Gavin grumbling. As Nathan watched, Gavin opened his eyes and looked around.

Nathan got up and smiled. “Gavin! Hey.”

“Huh?” Gavin stared at him, clearly not understanding what he was seeing.

“You’re in the hospital. You got injured in the fight, so they took you here.”

“…Yeah, I guess I remember… something…” He frowned. “Why’re you here?”

“Connor insisted we come over to check on you, and he’s been keeping Elijah company. They stepped out to get some breakfast, but they should be back soon.” Nathan pulled up his phone to text them.

“…Huh.”

“I can get the nurse or—”

“S’fine. Hurts but… well… I got stabbed I think?”

Nathan winced. “Yes.”

“Fuck. Just told them to chill, it was just a bump. Even offered to pay for the drink. But no, fucker throws a punch and then his buddies join in, and then some rando came in to try and pull them off, and before I knew it I was on the ground staring at someone’s face and feeling like there were bees in my stomach…” He sighed. “Pathetic, right?”

“I think it was very brave to stand up to someone like that. Particularly to try and help Connor meet up with Hank.”

“Oh yeah. Did they…? What happened?”

“He got there in time. They talked. Connor admitted his feelings. They’re going to go on a date when Hank gets back from his trip.”

Gavin shut his eyes, relieved. “Fuck. Good. _Good_.”

Nathan smiled.

Gavin opened his eyes and looked at Nathan with an unreadable expression.

“What?” Nathan asked.

“I…” Gavin swallowed. “Uh…”

Nathan tilted his head and smiled good-naturedly. “You can take your time.”

“…You know I _like_ you, right?”

Nathan blinked.

Gavin was still watching him. “I mean maybe you didn’t, but I thought I was kind of obvious and you were just being polite or…”

Nathan’s smile disappeared.

Gavin stared for a bit, then laughed nervously, winced, and said, “Yeah, so… Yeah. That uh…” He shut his eyes and breathed in deeply. “I guess I realized maybe I was confused about… where we stand. And I never really came out and said it. And… I know you said no, but I kind of wanted to be clear about it just… going forward.”

Nathan parted his lips, paused, stared at the blanket on Gavin’s stomach, started with, “…I… Gavin…” His tone was uncertain.

When he didn’t go on, Gavin smiled at him. If his face wasn’t so bruised, it might have been considered kind. “It’s cool. I get it. Sorry to spring this on you, _now_. Thanks for staying while I was out.”

They sat there for a while, not saying anything to each other, until finally, Nathan stood up. “I think I should… I should _go_.”

Gavin nodded, not looking at him anymore. “Yeah. Sorry. It’s cool. Later, then.”

“I hope you feel better soon,” Nathan said as he walked out, trying not to go too quickly. He paused outside in the hallway and ran a hand through his hair. No… he should… he should…

He heard a wet gasp in the room, then what was clearly a sob.

“Fucking idiot… what’d you think would happen? Idiot, idiot, idiot…”

Nathan grimaced and started walking. He spotted Connor and Elijah walking towards him.

Connor’s eyes widened. “Nathan? Is something wrong?”

“I uh… have to head home. I forgot I have some things to do in the morning. Gavin’s awake, though. You should go see him.” And then Nathan walked quickly past them.

* * *

As Connor and Elijah walked into the room, they saw Gavin still lying down, staring at the ceiling. His face was red and there were tears in his eyes.

“Gavin!” Connor said. “Are you okay? We can get the nurse—”

“It’s fine, Connor. Hey, Eli.”

“Gavin, they’re here to help,” Elijah said, walking forward. “Maybe you need more meds or something?”

“It’s not…” Gavin laughed. “It’s not _that_.”

“…So what’s wrong?” Connor asked.

Gavin shut his eyes. “I fucking told him.”

“…Told him?”

“Nathan. I told him I…” Gavin swallowed. “You know.”

Connor’s eyes widened. “Gavin…”

“Obviously it didn’t go well.” Gavin sniffed, trying and failing to be jokingly self-deprecating.

Connor reached out a hand to Gavin’s shoulder. “That was really brave, though, Gavin. Proud of you.”

“Was all you,” Gavin said. “You finally admitted to your crush, so…”

“You were the one who encouraged me. You and Nathan.”

“But you were the one who did the real work.”

“And so were you.”

Gavin started crying again. “For all the… the… good it did…”

Connor winced and sat in the nearby chair, rubbing Gavin’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Gavin…”

* * *

Gavin was out for about a week, and then allowed to work from home for a time.

Connor came to visit him in the hospital, always on his own, and Gavin always smiled and cracked jokes and asked about work. He never asked about Nathan, and Connor didn’t mention him, either.

Connor had called Nathan after leaving the hospital that first time, and it had gone to voicemail. Connor’s texts went unanswered as well, other than an “I’m fine. You can stop the constant calling.” They didn’t speak at work and Nathan seemed focused on his job.

Elijah was there to help get Gavin home, and got Gavin to agree to stay with him for a bit as he recovered. Connor told him in private about Gavin’s crush, and Elijah sighed. They were sitting on Elijah’s couch after Gavin had fallen asleep in bed.

“Yeah, he never has much luck with that. …His last girlfriend was apparently doing it as a bet. ‘How long would It take Gavin to figure out it was fake’, or something?”

“…Fucking hell. People really do that crap?”

“Yeah, he… got into some arguments with her cousin or something, and the shithead got the idea to set it all up. It was… bad. First time he’d asked anyone out in a while, and the last time he’s asked anyone out, as far as I can tell, and that was over three years ago.”

“…Fuck.”

“I was hoping when he changed jobs, maybe he’d find someone… Or… I don’t know. New places, new people, right?” Elijah sighed. “I’ll try to keep him distracted.”

“Thanks.”

Connor visited Gavin three times while he was at Elijah’s. Gavin was still the same as he’d been in the hospital, and Connor didn’t know what to do about it. They played video games, watched movies, cracked bad jokes, talked about Tina’s new beau, Hank’s sometimes awkward flirting that made Connor blush four ways and Gavin chuckle, smile warmly, and then clear his throat and move on to something else… They looked over the cats Gavin was thinking of adopting as an alternative to “spending too much time working”…

Or, as Connor thought, spending too much time thinking about _Nathan_.

At the end of the second visit, Connor paused before heading out. “Gavin… you know you can talk to me, right? About… Nathan?”

Gavin’s smile faded, and he looked away. “…You don’t want to hear how… sad I am your brother doesn’t want to date me.”

Connor stepped forward and rested his hand on Gavin’s shoulder. “You’re my friend, Gavin. You can talk about how unhappy you are.”

Gavin swallowed. “Shouldn’t you just be talking to Nathan?”

“I’ve tried and he’s stonewalling me.”

Gavin frowned. “Why?”

“Nathan and I have issues talking about things at the best of times. I don’t know if he’s annoyed I didn’t talk to him about Hank or what. He’s just… not talking to me. But anyway, I can still try to talk to you both.”

Gavin smiled. “…Yeah, okay.”

* * *

On Gavin’s first day back, everyone was in a bit of a celebratory mood. Connor brought in a fruit tart and Tina had some soda and the mood was cheery.

Connor noticed Nathan stayed back from it all, but didn’t say anything about it.

Gavin was politer than normal, too, grinning and cracking mostly okay jokes. He didn’t react when he noticed Nathan, at least not in a way Connor noticed. And Nathan disappeared for a few hours during the day, so Connor couldn’t talk to him.

Connor still stuck by Gavin throughout the day, and offered to walk to the bar with him after work. The office was pretty empty by that point.

As they were leaving for the day, Nathan stopped them. He had a large purple and white rose bouquet in his hands and looked… nervous.

“Hey Gavin… and Connor.”

“Hey Nathan…” Gavin said, glancing between the brothers nervously.

“Sorry I was too quiet today… I uh… Here, this is for you.” Nathan held out the bouquet.

Gavin stared at it, before carefully taking it from him. “Uh… thanks. This is… really nice.” He kept staring at the flowers.

“Um… so… Gavin,” Nathan continued, awkwardly, “Would you… come have a drink with me?”

Gavin blinked and stared at him. “…What?”

“I uh… I know the last time we saw each other wasn’t good, and I’ve been radio silent, but… You offered to get a drink before and I wanted to take you up on it.”

Gavin's eyed widened in shock, then they narrowed. “…Is this a pity date thing? Because I got stabbed?”

“What? No. No, I’m serious.” Nathan swallowed.

Connor could tell he was nervous.

“…Okay. Sure. Yeah.” Gavin looked at Connor. “I’ll catch up with you later, okay?”

“Sure!” Connor glanced between them, and headed home.

* * *

Gavin watched Nathan stare at his drink before Gavin said, “So if this is just your way of letting me down easy, it’s fine, I get it. You don’t need to bother.”

“Huh?” Nathan looked up at him, and Gavin wished, _so_ fucking much, the fucker didn’t have such a cute face, particularly when he was surprised.

“I get it, you’re not interested. It’s fine. I won’t like… bring it up at work or anything.”

Nathan blinked. “No, that’s not… I…” He sighed. “That’s not what this is.”

“…Okay? So… what’s up?”

“I was surprised when you told me that you liked me. I thought… well… perhaps my rejections had changed things.”

Gavin snorted. “Yeah. My dumb ass has issues taking a hint.” He flushed. “I mean, not like I’ll keep going. I _get_ it… No is no…”

“No, that’s…” Nathan sighed. “When I said no, I was actually flattered. I haven’t had much luck in relationships. But I also said no because I was seeing someone at the time.”

Gavin blinked. “…Oh. OH. Uh… Shit! Sorry, I should have—!”

Nathan put a hand up. “I’ve never advertised it. I didn’t even tell Connor.”

“…Oh.” Gavin frowned, curious, but not feeling like it was his place to ask.

Nathan swallowed. “I assumed Connor would… give me advice or do something weird with it. I just wanted it to myself, you know?” He shook his head. “It was odd. At any rate, we broke up a few weeks ago. Right before you asked me to that baseball game.”

“…Huh?”

Nathan took a sip of his drink, then continued, “We just… didn’t want the same things, he and I. So, we split. I was still processing, and then you asked me out…”

Gavin blushed. “Fuck, sorry…”

“No, it…” Nathan swallowed. “Gavin, I find you very attractive.”

Gavin nearly dropped his drink, then carefully set it down, swallowed, and got out, “Eh heh… Yeah, thanks…”

“I mean it.” Nathan reached for the other man’s hand, then pulled back, clearly nervous. He sighed. “You’re good-looking. You’re good at your job. If I weren’t such a disaster with relationships, I’d have tried to be your friend before this.”

“…Really?”

Nathan smiled. “Yes.”

“…Oh.”

Nathan’s smile shrank a bit. “I didn’t want you to be a rebound. _That’s_ why I said no. It didn’t mean I wasn’t _interested_.”

Gavin stared at his drink, then his eyes widened and he looked up, his expression just the slightest bit hopeful amid the shock.

Nathan was smiling. “I figured that had permanently shot any chances I had in the foot. Just bad timing. It was… truly flattering to get the invitation when I was at a low point, though.”

“Heh.” Gavin cleared his throat. “I mean… any time.”

“I was wondering… if you’re still interested… if you still wanted to go on a real date.”

“…Huh?”

“I’m doing this out of order.” Nathan cleared his throat. “I had a plan and everything, but well… I’m not very good at romantic gestures.” He shook his head. “I should start at… I was incredibly rude, just… ducking out on you like that in the hospital, not visiting, not saying anything, and rejecting you without explanation…” He shook his head. “And now I have the audacity to ask if you still want to—”

“Wait, wait, stop!” Gavin raised a hand. “Chill for a second. You didn’t owe me an explanation for not wanting to go out with me. That’s your business. A no is a no.”

Nathan frowned ever so slightly.

Gavin swallowed. “I mean fuck, I asked four times and didn’t take a fucking hint? That’s _not_ on _you_. And the hospital… I just sprung that shit on you out of nowhere. And you were going out of your way to be polite. It’s not your fault you were just…”

“Unprepared?”

“Yeah.” Gavin swallowed. “I mean it hurt, but… still…”

“I’m sorry.” He put a hand up before Gavin could continue. “Really. I shouldn’t have walked out like that. My job is about handling difficult situations, and I failed an important one. And hurt you, because it was easier than admitting I fucked up.” Nathan swallowed. “Connor… may have been a bit overly specific when he tried to talk to me at certain points.”

“That little fucker.”

“He meant well. He cares about us both.”

Gavin snorted at that. “…Yeah. He does.”

Nathan smiled. “But that’s part of why I didn’t tell him about my previous partner.” Nathan laughed. “Maybe it was revenge for dragging him to the airport.”

Gavin snorted again.

“In any case, again, I’m sorry.”

Gavin shook his head, and Nathan noticed his cheeks were a little red. “Well, I’m sorry, too, for not taking a hint, so we’re square.”

Nathan smiled, sadly. “All right. Now that we’ve over-apologized and missed each other in a few places… Gavin Reed, I’d like to go out with you. Would you go out with me sometime? Beyond just this?”

Gavin stared at him for a minute, his blush even darker. Then he grinned. “I’d love to, Nathan.”


End file.
